Roundball Mining Company » Chris Kamanhttp://www.roundballminingcompany.com
We'll move the earth for a title!Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.13-on-3: The summer of onehttp://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/07/09/3-on-3-the-summer-of-one/
http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/07/09/3-on-3-the-summer-of-one/#commentsMon, 09 Jul 2012 07:02:33 +0000http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/?p=4091The latest edition of our ongoing 3-on-3 series centers around one — one player that intrigues each of our writers in three different areas of the game. With hardly any roster space left for free agents, a serious need for star power and a Summer League team boasting with young talent, the fact remains: The Nuggets could certainly use an adjustment or two. Though we aren’t general managers and don’t control the fluidity of the roster, we can at least point out several players that we feel would benefit the Nuggets in some fashion — which is exactly what we aim to do, 3-on-3 style.

1. Although the roster is essentially full, if you could chose, who is the one available free agent you want to see the Nuggets sign? (2012 free agent list)

Charlie: Before I answer the question, I should say that I’m fine with the Nuggets sitting out free agency and I suspect they will. This crop of free agents just isn’t very good and you need only look at the Dallas Mavericks for proof. They sacrificed their aging championship core to maximize cap space this summer and needless to say, it hasn’t paid off. The Mavs now find themselves in the unenviable position of having to fill out their roster by overspending in a market where Gerald Wallace got $40 million guaranteed. There’s simply no reason the Nuggets shouldn’t keep their flexibility intact so they can spend at a later date when team needs will become a little more clear. That being said, I’m intrigued by taking a flier on the recently amnestied Elton Brand. Denver would likely have to amnesty Birdman or Harrington to create the requisite room, but they have more than enough depth to do so. Brand’s polish in the post is a great compliment to Faried and something sorely lacking in the rest of the Nuggets bigs. I don’t expect it to happen, but that would be an opportunity with little to no risk and a lot of potential reward.

Jeremy: I am going to carry my philosophy of the draft into this question. They should look for players with potential. I narrowed my list down to Anthony Randolph, who did not receive a qualifying offer from Minnesota, or Gerald Green. I have always been a sucker for Randolph’s athleticism and potential. If you are honest with yourself you’ll admit to being intrigued by a McGee/Randolph front court; however, I have to give the nod to Gerald Green. Despite the glut of wings on the roster I think Denver needs a shooter to come off the bench behind Afflalo. Green would thrive in Denver’s high octane system, plus, he drilled almost 40 percent of his threes last season. More importantly, he proved he has grown from a crazy athlete into a legitimate basketball player.

Kalen: While I was tempted to go with a smart, veteran locker room presence — think Grant Hill, Anthony Tolliver or Eduardo Najera — who could mentor Denver’s young core and act as a stabilizing force when adversity strikes, I have to settle on Chris Kaman. Even with three 7-footers, the Nuggets front court situation is still shaky. I like having big bodies just as much as the next guy but fans are fooling themselves if they think Koufos and Mozgov are going to save the day come playoff time. Having a skilled, veteran 7-footer who can actually play at a high level would prove invaluable for such a young squad. This would also allow Harrington to move back to his natural position at small forward, therefore decreasing the amount of “small ball” to be played in the process. Additionally, Kaman is a full-blown redneck who would likely find comfort (shooting something?) in the Rocky Mountains, which he has yet to have had in his NBA career.

2. Who is the one player you’d like to see the Nugget trade for?

Charlie: This is another difficult one to answer, because it just so happens the one thing the Nuggets lack (a star) is by far the riskiest and most difficult to acquire. Denver is not a legitimate destination for top free agents, while the second tier guys they could trade for don’t come without serious flaws or financial risk. For that reason, I’d love to see the Nuggets stay young and developmental rather than trying to patch up their weaknesses with guys who don’t significantly move the talent needle. Derrick Williams, the former No. 2 pick of the Timberwolves, is pretty clearly on his way out of Minnesota and extremely likely to see his declining trade value plummet further. The Wolves are hard after cap space and while taking on another project like Williams doesn’t help the Nuggets now, it’s the type of long-term gamble Denver must be willing to take.

Jeremy: I have tried to limit my options to players who are realistically available and while Dwight Howard is available, realistically that scenario is not even worth discussing. With that in mind, I would love to see Andre Iguodala in a Nuggets uniform playing shooting guard. Iguodala makes plays at both ends of the court and has quietly improved his 3-point shooting throughout his career (39.4 percent last season). A package including Afflalo, Stone, Chandler and Mozgov or Koufos should at least get Philly’s attention.

Kalen: Josh Smith. Plain and simple. This guy has been on Nuggets Nation’s radar forever so it’s about time he officially suits up in blue and yellow. He’s one of the most underrated (versatile, athletic, defensive) players in the league who’s been on the verge of making the All-Star team the last several years. While he’s played power forward in Atlanta his true position is at the three. He’s been very vocal about wanting a fresh start and at only 26, Denver is the absolute perfect place for him to land considering he could be the missing piece to a blossoming young core. Because he’s in the last year of his contract the Hawks can’t expect a king’s ransom for his services; therefore, something as simple as Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler alone might seal the deal. Once in a Nuggets uniform it’s almost a guarantee Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke would be able to re-sign him given how well they’ve done in recent contract negotiations.

3. Who is the one player you want to see excel most at Summer League?

Charlie: Without a doubt, I think this is the summer of Jordan Hamilton. Despite a less than stellar rookie year, Hamilton showed glimpses of a well-rounded offensive game. With Rudy Fernandez gone and Al Harrington coming off yet another major surgery, he’ll have the opportunity to see minutes both on the wing and in the backcourt with the likes of Miller and Lawson. I have no doubt Hamilton will help the Nuggets next season if he improves his focus and shows he does not need the ball in order to be effective. Hamilton has been a natural scorer his whole career, but I think he needs to get quicker and show the coaches he can fill a variety of roles on both ends of the floor. Hamilton’s ability to shoot, get to the basket and rebound makes him the most intriguing prospect on the Summer League squad and I have a lot of confidence he’ll make the most of his opportunity next week.

Jeremy: That is like asking me to pick which of my kids I want to see in heaven. Faried already has already established himself as the starting power forward. I really want Stone to succeed, but he is blocked by Lawson and Miller. I desperately want to see Quincy Miller prove that he was the steal of the draft, but he will not see the court much this season regardless of how well he plays in Vegas. That leaves Jordan Hamilton as the player with the best mix of potential to blow up and actually earn playing time with the Nuggets this season so I am going to choose him.

Kalen: Jordan Hamilton as a rotational player next season already seems to be a foregone conclusion — and for good reasons. He should be better than everyone aside from Faried. In other words, I don’t want him to play well, I expect him to play well. The guy who needs a convincing performance the most is without question, Evan Fournier. While fans have had the chance to see American-born players like Miller, Hamilton, Faried and even Stone in live, full-length game action, Fournier has been much more difficult to track. This will probably be the first opportunity for many fans to see the guy Ujiri chose over Perry Jones, Jared Sullinger and John Jenkins up close and personal. If he struggles the pessimism will only perpetuate. While it’s unfair to expect a dominating performance, it will be crucial for Fournier to at least hold his own and show glimpses of what made him such a high selection in the Draft. In theory, if he’s been playing against full-grown men since he was 16 then he should be able to handle Summer League.

]]>http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/07/09/3-on-3-the-summer-of-one/feed/36Interesting developments on Wilson Chandler fronthttp://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/03/09/interesting-developments-on-wilson-chandler-front/
http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/03/09/interesting-developments-on-wilson-chandler-front/#commentsFri, 09 Mar 2012 21:03:57 +0000http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/?p=3587In a recent New York Post article Peter Vecsey points out that if Chandler were to sign in Italy for the remainder of the season, he would then “forfeit the ability to do a sign-and-trade come summer — one of the CBA’s multitude of new rules.” Essentially, this makes re-signing Chandler even more critical than before for a couple reasons.

First, once summer arrives many teams will have freed up enough cap space to make the type of offer that would cripple the Nuggets salary flexibility if they decided to match. In theory the Nuggets could deal Chandler that following winter before the trade deadline to avoid paying his salary but the fact remains, having Chandler as a tradable asset this summer allows much more room for the team to improve heading into next year.

If he were to sign in Italy, then come back to the States and agree to an offer the Nuggets would cringe at matching, (assuming they would in fact match) this would basically erase most of the team’s cap room and in the process prevent it from making much-needed additions to the roster through free agency. Additionally, the thought of the Nuggets letting Chandler walk for nothing becomes an actual possibility rather than a nightmare, which is something Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke have attempted to avoid for quite some time. What if, for example, the Nuggets manage to get themselves into heavy contract negotiations with a player like Kevin Garnett, Chris Kaman or Gerald Wallace? Letting Chandler walk in order to sign someone like them then becomes an all too realistic scenario with all the work the Nuggets front office did in order to retain him as an asset, then flying out the window in the process.

In a way, these new details that have come to light might actually expedite contract negotiations and ensure Chandler returns to the Nuggets for at least the rest of the 2011-12 campaign. Now that he has leverage Chandler can tell the Nuggets to either pony up and give him the money he wants, or suffer the consequences by relinquishing the right to sign-and-trade him this summer. Either way, Chandler is getting paid and in all likelihood the Nuggets will be the ones dishing out the dollars. At this point, sacrificing a few more million bucks this year could go a long way in ensuring more talent arrives in Denver in the foreseeable future.

Nene, C24 MIN | 2-7 FG | 2-4 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 6 PTS | -4Nene played a few possessions where he looked dominant, but once again was passive during any key stretch where it looked like Denver could seize momentum. He played Birdman-like defense meaning one out of 3 or so possessions was fantastic and the rest was cringe-worthy.

Danilo Gallinari, SF39 MIN | 9-17 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 6 AST | 23 PTS | +12Gallo did more off-ball work than we’ve seen all season. Despite still missing a ton of shots from distance, he was aggressive and confident throughout the game. Gallo also recorded six assists on a night where the guards had a tough time creating shots for the team. Gallo played a very well rounded game tonight.

Timofey Mozgov, C13 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -3Look, Mozgov just wasn’t in the game much. I was baffled as to why he or Koufos weren’t allowed to play in the first half despite New Orleans’ size causing so many problems. Timo missed a dunk and he misses a ton of tip-ins which is likely keeping him off the court. Although he wasn’t the worst defender on the floor, he was part of a dysfunctional unit that didn’t communicate on defense and couldn’t get out in transition.

Arron Afflalo, SG34 MIN | 6-11 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | +8He still isn’t taking the greatest shots and for whatever reason, missing open threes causes him to keep shooting contested ones. There’s nothing to do but wait out Afflalo’s long range slump, and at least on defense its business as usual. His third quarter defense was fantastic and played a major part in the Nuggets’ second half surge.

Ty Lawson, PG35 MIN | 3-13 FG | 6-6 FT | 0 REB | 8 AST | 12 PTS | -7For once, Lawson had to rely on his teammates to push the pace in Denver’s favor. He should have gotten a few more calls at the rim, but Lawson didn’t show a lot of patience running the offense instead opting to wildly drive the ball into traffic where the size and length of New Orleans bothered him.

Al Harrington, PF23 MIN | 6-10 FG | 0-2 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 14 PTS | +9Al Harrington has somehow made himself a solid defensive player. He played perhaps the most efficient minutes out of any Nugget and once again stepped up big when no one else was willing. He is the only one shooting with any confidence and he’s been a major factor in gutting out every tough win of the season.

Andre Miller, PG31 MIN | 4-10 FG | 5-5 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 13 PTS | +13Miller gets his first ‘A’ of the season as he seemed to really settle the Nuggets down at the moment they were able to seize the game. I still don’t like his shot selection and some of the passes he’ll attempt in a half-court set, but Miller’s steady floor presence was great on a night Lawson struggled a lot.

Chris Andersen, C5 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -7Birdman’s act is tired. I’m shocked the numbers make him look like a competent player. He looks great one game and then is consistently the worst guy on the court in the next. He’s completely awful on the road and the Nuggets won this game because Koufos finally cut into his playing time in the second half. Birdman’s energy just isn’t something to rely on – it’s a gimmick more than anything else.

Rudy Fernandez, SG18 MIN | 2-4 FG | 1-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | 0Fernandez did exactly what he needed to do when called on. With Afflalo having one of his better games of the year, the minutes weren’t there but he gave maximum effort on both ends during his time. Fernandez isn’t taking unnecessary threes anymore and his play is steadily improving after an up and down start in Denver.

Kosta Koufos, C17 MIN | 4-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +19Koufos wasn’t really allowed in the game till the second half when the Nuggets looked morbidly bad on both ends. He proceeded to play like the best big on the floor and almost singlehandedly sparked Denver to the pivotal run that sealed it. His pick and roll defense was awesome and the Nuggets rotated much better with him anchoring the middle. I’m not sure why the coaches are so hesitant to trust him but he clearly deserves more time on the floor. Give Koufos credit for MVP in this difficult road win.

Five Things We Saw

Speed Kills. The Hornets played a little too fast after making so many shots early in the game. Despite the Nuggets playing pretty bad basketball for over half of the game they were able to speed things up considerably at the end. It’s clear the Hornets lost confidence in their ability to control a slow-down game and buckled late. All Denver needs is a small opening to get their running attack going and there aren’t many teams who can keep up

Interior defense. The Nuggets were tougher inside tonight and played exceptional man defense on Kaman and Okafor. At times they were over-aggressive and left too many shooters wide open on the perimeter. The overall team defense was poor until Koufos’ arrival late in the game, when he also proceeded to get three huge blocks on crucial possessions.

Half court woes continue. There are still some worries about this team going stagnant for as long as they do. Teams that are able to stay in front of Lawson or pre-rotate help take away Denver’s main options and they need to improve in this area soon.

YGTMYFTs. Gallo, Lawson, and Andre Miller made every free throw they attempted. As a team the Nuggets weren’t great, but it’s a very good sign when the team struggles offensively yet the best players get to the line and convert. A key factor to closing out games is making free throws count and the Nuggets are improving (Lawson’s been pretty bad here in previous games) .

Finish Strong. Ultimately it was depth that won this game. New Orleans executed better for longer periods, but Karl’s willingness to go to a bench overflowing with talent eventually broke the injured Hornets down. If the Nuggets are going to win in San Antonio tomorrow, they’ll need more of the same. Lawson needs to bounce back with a much better game and the bench must continue to be their reliable selves. Also of note: Afflalo finished the game with a bench-heavy unit and that’s a trend that needs to become a staple going forward.

Game 8 Advanced Stats

Pace Factor: 91.5 – Really slow and ugly until the 34-point fourth quarter explosionOffensive Efficiency: 104.9 – Against NOLA at this pace it’s a very solid ratingDefensive Effiiciency: 96.1 – Terrible start, wildly up and down but good enough against a Hornets team who came to play

]]>http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/01/06/rapid-reaction-nuggets-96-hornets-98/feed/28Breaking down ESPN’s #NBArank of the Denver Nuggets: Part 2http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2011/10/27/breaking-down-espns-nbarank-of-the-denver-nuggets-part-2/
http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2011/10/27/breaking-down-espns-nbarank-of-the-denver-nuggets-part-2/#commentsFri, 28 Oct 2011 00:47:34 +0000http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/?p=2597In Part 1 of this short series we examined the Denver Nuggets who landed outside the Top 100 of ESPN’s #NBArank list, which attempted to tabulate the best 500 players in the entire league. To conclude our analytical process of determining just how accurate these rankings are, we’re going to inspect the remaining Denver Nuggets — those who are perceived by our fellow TrueHoop family members, as some of the best 100 players in the entire NBA.

No. 89: Andre Miller

I think I speak for most Nuggets fans when I say we’re thrilled to see Dre back in Denver. As a backup who will assume the role of a mentor to the emerging Ty Lawson — just as Chauncey Billups did until his departure (minus the backup part) — Miller’s numbers will almost undoubtedly plummet due to this diminishing role (and age); however, his impact on the young Lawson will be immeasurable. Admittedly, I haven’t seen much of Miller since he left Denver in the Allen Iverson trade roughly five years ago, therefore I feel a little guilty in attempting to determine how accurate his ranking is, but judging by his recent playoff performances as well as his position alongside aging, former All-Stars, such as Chris Kaman (N0. 88), Andrei Kirilenko (No. 90) and Caron Butler (No. 87), he seems to be doing just fine.

Conclusion: Just right

No. 78: Arron Afflalo

This, this is a tough call. I love AAA just as much as the next Nugget fan and am entirely on board to overpay him simply so that he remains a Nugget — but that’s the totally biased Nugget fan in me speaking. As for my other half, the objective NBA mega-fan side, that part of me is a bit skeptical about Afflalo being ranked ahead of guys like Raymond Felton (No. 80) and Andrea Bargnani (No. 81), while being just one spot behind multi-single season 20 points per game scorer, Stephen Jackson (No. 77). Look, I value Afflalo’s shooting percentages, defense and intelligence tremendously, and place the utmost amount of importance on those characteristics, as I understand just how valuable they are to any NBA team; however, I’d have a real hard time honestly telling you that the Nugget are a better team with Afflalo, rather than Bargnani or Jackson. I guess what people miss, who don’t regularly watch the Nuggets, is the fact that Afflalo is largely a systematic type of player, in that almost all of his points come off spot up 3-pointers and the occasional free throw attempt. When driving to the basket — though he is improving — Afflalo is still incredibly novice, in large part due to the fact that his ball-handeling skills and athleticism simply aren’t his best attributes. And though his defense is probably Top 5 in terms of shooting guards in the NBA, it’s not the type of defense that drives Kobe Bryant crazy and forces him to miss easy shots, a la Ron Artest (No. 97) or Tony Allen (No. 72); it’s actually more of a blue-collar, mirror-your-man type of defense. Now it may sound like I’m being nitpicky, but that’s the type of attitude you must possess when considering these rankings. So I guess the question we have to ask is, “How much value should be placed on solid defense, great 3-point shooting and a high basketball IQ, and should these elements outweigh the ability to go out and drop 20 on a nightly basis?” Let’s do keep in mind here, that Afflalo has been in the league for four years now, and though he has gotten better each year, he’s never averaged over 13 points per game in his career. All this said, should Afflalo come out guns-a-blazin’ next season, average 15 points per game on the same great shooting percentages and show the ability to score the rock by creating his own offense, we could be potentially be looking at a Top 50 player in the NBA. For now, his ranking is somewhere in the neighborhood of where it probably should be.

Conclusion: About right, though maybe a bit too high

No. 75: Wilson Chandler

At 75, Chandler finds himself in about the perfect position. I do think he’s a tad bit better than Afflalo at this point in his career, and yet, still has a lot of room for improvement. I really only saw Chandler for about three months up close and personal, but that was more than enough time for me to gauge just how talented this guy is. In fact, at times Chandler impressed me way more than Danilo Gallinari, because while “Gallo” was off firing countless ill-advised 3-pointers and turning the ball over as he drove to the hole with a reckless abandon, Chandler was cool, calm and collected, often times doing the dirty work behind the scenes. But more than anything, I just love Chandler’s game. He’s never going to blow you away with one specific skill, but he’s as solid as solid gets when it comes to being a complete NBA talent. On many occasions Chandler would finish off a game with the most blocks on the entire Nuggets squad all en route to notching 15 points, seven rebounds and a few steals as well. Still, if there’s one thing that puzzles me about Chandler, it’s his ghost-like ability to appear and disappear at any given moment in time, but more frustratingly, his ability to regress throughout an entire season. For example, this past year Chandler was averaging about 18 points and two blocks per game for the first three months of the regular season; after joining the Nuggets in late February, Chandler saw averages of 12.5 points per game in March, 10.2 in April and a whopping 4.8 in the Playoffs. My question: What the HELL happened from December to May?!? Anyways, Chandler clearly has some growing to do in the Consistency Department, but overall I think he’s the type of player that helps you win games way more than he loses them for you by not showing up.

Conclusion: Just right

No. 68: Danilo Gallinari

I’ve been a pretty harsh critic of Gallinari ever since he joined the Nuggets, and I’ll tell you exactly why: My expectations were never met. After being taken sixth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, sandwiched between Kevin Love (No. 16) and Eric Gordon (No. 39) along with all the hype in the world as one of the best European players since Dirk Nowitzki (No. 5), Gallo was primed to be a total stud four years down the road. Well, here we are, it’s 2011, and Gallo has yet to average over 15 points per game for a single season in his entire career. Many Gallo supporters point to the fact that “He’s only 23!!!” and to that, I say, “So…???” Do you know what Derrick Rose (No. 8), Kevin Durant (No. 6), Blake Griffin (No. 10), Stephen Curry (No. 38), Russell Westbrook (No. 14), Kevin Love (No. 16), Eric Gordon (No. 39), Tyreke Evans (No. 47), Brook Loopez (No. 51), Serge Ibaka (No. 56), James Harden (No. 58), Brandon Jennings (No. 60), Mike Conley (No. 65) and a fellow teammate of Gallinari’s all have in common? Well, as you may have guessed by their ranking number, they’re all higher than Gallo; but did you know, they’re also all the same age, or even younger? Oh, and one more thing, only Durant and Conley have played more seasons in the NBA than Gallo: one. My point is that this is the NBA; once you get here, age is irrelevant. Everyone in the league is a man. This isn’t organized youth sports where age limits are enforced. This is the best of the best, regardless of how old you are. Obviously Gallo has a ton of potential, but similar to J.R., I fear we could end up proclaiming each new season THE year for Gallo to finally break out of his shell, and before you know it, seven years of his career have passed without any significant increase in production. Just look at his numbers. For three straight years now he’s hovered around 15 points per game. That, ladies and gentlemen, is called a plateau, which is unusual for a guy teeming with “potential.” You see, to me, potential is a lot like like fishing. You can wait, and wait, and wait, but after a certain amount of time, you simply have to acknowledge the fact that they just aren’t biting. I feel Gallo is approaching this point in his career. If I had to bet, this upcoming season is his make-or-break year. Should he finally start scoring in the upper teens on a nightly basis, I’ll be willing to acknowledge that he still has room to grow, but should we see another 15 points per game year, I might consider giving Jordan Hamilton a chance to start just to see what happens. All this said, I truly do like Gallo, both as a player and a person and truly do hope that he finally breaks out and remains a Nugget for the foreseeable future. He’s shown a lot, and I mean a lot,of heart on both sides of the ball and has been more than willing to incorporate himself into the team as a Nugget ever since his arrival in Denver. Surrounded by players like Devin Harris (No. 69), Kyle Lowry (No. 66) and Mike Conley (No. 65), I feel Gallo is probably right where he belongs — amongst guys who are still young and full of potential, but not that young and full of potential.

Conclusion: Just right

No. 64: Ty Lawson

Readers of this blog are well aware of my feelings regarding Ty Lawson. I’ve proclaimed on multiple occasions (nearly every time I write), how Ty Lawson — to me — represents the future of this franchise. I say this for two reasons really: First, he’s still young; and second, unlike Gallo, I’ve seen huge steps in his game even though the numbers don’t necessarily display this notion. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I think the rest of the league is in for quite the shock once this season finally gets underway, and much like Faried, this is the part of the process where trying to rank over 500 players gets a little tricky. If you haven’t watched Ty Lawson play, and simply glanced at his numbers, you’d probably wonder why he’s even close to the Top 50, but if you’ve watched on a number of occasions, specifically during the last two months of the 2011 season, you’ll know exactly why he’s ranked so high. Speed, athleticism, ball-handeling, even shooting at times — these are all aspects of Ty Lawson’s game that he’s more than exceptional at. I watch a lot of basketball, and I can’t say that I’ve seen a quicker player with the ball in his hands than Ty Lawson. Standing at a diminutive 5-11, he’s able to remain relatively low to the ground, thus allowing himself to complete two dribbles in the time than a normal NBA player usually completes one. He’s fantastic at using this unique skill to manuever in and out of traffic at will, often times ending his frantic scurry with a pinpoint pass to one of his fellow teammates. And this is perhaps where I see Lawsons’ greatest strength: assists. His skills, and overall potential as a ball player were on full display on April 9, 2011, when he tied J.R. Smith’s record for the most 3-point field goals made in a single game in Denver Nuggets history, with 11 (second all time in NBA history, by the way) — a feat astounding in it’s own right, and one that nobody saw coming. That, is the type of potential you must witness out of a young, promising prospect that allows you to see “the light” that we just haven’t quite seen yet out of Gallinari. His 14.6 points on .509 percent from the field, 6.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a starter this past season are a solid indicator of just how much progress he made in one year, and keep in mind, this was even with Raymond Felton in the lineup. With the unquestioned full reign as the starting point guard of the Denver Nuggets, which should see him average at least 35 minutes per game, I expect Lawson to make a strong push for a stat line around 18 points, eight assists and two steals per game this upcoming season, which should be enough to land him a spot in the Top 50 of ESPN’s #NBArank in 2012. Until then, No. 64 overall will have to do.

Conclusion: Just right (for the national audience), too low (for Nuggets fans)

No. 31: Nene

Much to my surprise, Nene comes in as the highest ranked member of the Denver Nuggets, at No. 31 overall. Here’s the thing: Not only do I know that there’s at least 30 players who are better than Nene in the NBA, but I’m entirely convinced there’s at least 40 as well. Look, both Jeremy and I have made it no secret that we feel the Nuggets future hinges on whether Nene re-signs or leaves via free agency, and his importance to this Nuggets squad cannot be overstated, but have to ask, does pure importance automatically translate into pure skill? Hell, I felt Kenyon Martin was about as important to the Nuggets 2009 Western Conference Finals run as anybody, but that doesn’t mean in any way, shape or form that I’d be willing to rank him in the Top 30 amongst all NBA players that season. Obviously because Nene plays the center position, which is clearly the most sought-after position on the floor, he’s going to be looked at differently, as there are only a handful of really solid NBA centers in the entire league. But to me, when you’re ranking players individually (i.e. by skill level, abilities, etc.), this whole “importance of position” factor flies out the window. Quite honestly, I’m baffled at how it even factored into the consideration of many of the participants. If you look at the NBA right now, the center position is extremely depleted. Other than Dwight Howard, there really isn’t a dominant center in the game today; therefore, what ends up happening is guys like Tyson Chandler (No. 37), Marc Gasol (No. 26) and Andrew Bynum (No. 30) are being overcompensated for. You tell me, how would these three players be perceived in the ’90s, or virtually any other decade for that matter? I mean, just because we’re going through a golden age of points guards, does that mean they should be penalized because there’s an overabundance? That’s certainly the message I’m receiving from the TrueHoop voters. Anyways, much like J.R. and K-Mart, the national perception of Nene is, without question, entirely skewed, because there is just no way on Earth that I’d take Nene over Joe Johnson (No. 32), Danny Granger (No. 36), Stephen Curry (No. 38), John Wall (No. 40), Monta Ellis (No. 41) or Josh Smith (N0. 43). But again, his role and level of importance to this specific Nuggets squad is crucial.

So what did we learn throughout this entire process of ranking the NBA’s best 500 players? I think that for the most part, guys were about where they belonged, but I also got the sense that, at times, this felt all too similar to the fan-style of voting for All-Star games. I think too often guys got placed higher on this list because they were on winning teams (see: Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and for crying out loud, Jose Juan Barea, who never should have cracked the Top 100), when the fact of the matter is, one year ago all three of the Mavericks mentioned above were viewed in a almost scrub-like fashion. Let’s be clear: This was a ranking of individual talent, not how well certain players fit into certain teams. Monta Ellis, for example, has never played with an overwhelming amount of talent, yet is penalized for it and then on top of that, is somehow viewed as a “chucker,” never mind the fact that he has a higher career field goal percentage than Kobe Bryant. So the concept of ranking players individually, based on talent instead of the type of situation they were in, was probably the greatest flaw of this entire system. Also, as I pointed out in the Faried section of this series, there’s a lot of bench players and rookies, that get such a small amount of playing time, that only those team’s writers can really evaluate them. In my opinion, the bottom 200 players don’t deserve to be ranked, because for the most part their position was arbitrary. As I said before, who’s to say that Malik Allen is a better player than Melvin Ely right now? And how does Bismack Biyombo find his way ahead of Kenneth Faried? Bottom line: If the TrueHoop Network has a desire to continue expanding it’s level of credibility, it might be wise to not bite of more than it can chew. Similar to a dining experience, when you have 100-plus items on the menu, it can take away from the quality of the product. Maybe next time, just ranking the top 250 would be a better decision. But again, overall, not bad.